Asian Fairy Tales

Ten-year-old Geetanjali doesn’t mind singing, but she knows she’ll never be as good as her mother, Aai, or grandmother, Aaji, famous classical singers from India whose celebrity has followed the family all the way to their small town of Deadwood, Michigan, where Geetanjali lives with her aai and her father, Baba.

These eight original tales by Chitra Soundar task two clever boys, Prince Veera and his best friend, Suku, with outwitting the kingdom's greediest, wiliest subjects.

Kai and Kishi share the same futon, the same face, and the same talent for pearl diving. But Kishi is the obedient daughter, while Kai tries to push the rules, and sometimes they fight. Still, when Kishi is stolen and killed by the legendary Ghost Whale, nothing will stop Kai from searching for her, deep in the ocean, hoping for a way to bring her back to life. But such a rescue is beyond the power of an ordinary mortal. Kai strikes a deal with the gods: she’ll steal a magic pearl in exchange for her sister’s soul.

Japan is a single nation, but its origins are so old, and often, so fragmented, that unified mythology and folklore can be difficult to point to. Still, there are some key texts, tales, and characters we can focus on which will give us a pretty good sense of Japanese mythology. In this audiobook, you'll discover stories of mystery, horror, and romance while simultaneously learning about the Japanese culture.

Characters from the Epic of Gilgamesh populate this high-stakes contemporary adventure in which all of Manhattan is threatened by the ancient god of plagues. Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents' deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life. Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn't know it, and that's about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble.

Twelve-year-old Lia Park and her best friend, Joon, are now full-time students at International Magic Academy after defeating corrupt diviner Gaya, and their first assignment is an ambitious one. The evil nine-headed monster and King of Darkness, Jihaedaegukjeok, wants to destroy the three Heavenly Heirlooms that create fire and light to plunge the world into darkness and destroy humanity. The heirlooms can only be destroyed if they are all together, so over time, they have been hidden carefully with magic.

Un voyage initiatique au pays de Bouddha, mais aussi un récit drôle et savoureux. Une des légendes les plus célèbres de la littérature chinoise qui met en scène un petit singe hors du commun, né dans un œuf de pierre... Avec sa voix chaleureuse, François Delaive nous propose une lecture savoureuse de cette étonnante légende chinoise.

In this epic collection of Chinese myths and folklore, you’ll hear about dragon and dragon kings, love, lust, superpowers, mercy, vengeance, hell, paradise, gods, goddesses, and the elements. You’ll go on a journey to the east, where the oriental culture was polytheistic and perhaps a little superstitious at the same time. You will hear about the amazing stories people came up with or the fables that were based on personal experiences or encounters with those beyond the physical realm. Don’t postpone picking up this highly entertaining and historical book.

Melony Yoshimura’s parents have always been overprotective. They say it’s because a demonic spirit called the Amanjaku once preyed upon kids back in Japan, but Melony suspects it’s just a cautionary tale to keep her in line. So on her twelfth birthday, Melony takes a chance and wishes for the freedom and adventure her parents seem determined to keep her from.

"Give me six months, and I will teach your sons how to live wisely. They will make you proud," said the Pandit. And thus was born the great book of animal stories—the Panchatantra. Cunning jackals, stupid crocodiles, lumbering elephants and clever mice. Foolish fish and clever crows, quick-witted monkeys and dim-witted lions. Pit your wits against them in this feast of animal stories! The Panchatantra stories are ancient, yet so contemporary that they have been retold again and again through the ages. They remain as modern as any new story today.

In this traditional Afghan folk tale, all the animals wait in line to buy delicious honey from the bees. Everything is harmonious until a bullying bear begins to cut in line and take honey without paying.

Join Tripitaka, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and many other friends on a great adventure! Sun Wukong might be mischievous, but he's fun to be with! Watch as Tripitaka faces a lot of problems and overcomes them, one step at a time. Be inspired by Zhu Bajie, who has many weaknesses and tries very hard to cope with them. So, are you in?

Clever Prince Veera and his best friend, Suku, are back in a vibrant new collection of stories riddled with surprises. When the prince’s great uncle, Raja Apoorva, invites the boys to the summer festival in Peetalpur, Prince Veera and Suku are excited to compete in the games. It’s no easy feat to make the peahen sing (when peahens can’t sing) or defeat the country's champion wrestler, but Raja Apoorva’s riddles prove the ultimate test of the boys’ wit and wisdom. Packed with wise-cracking dialogue, these festive tales of two friends will captivate listeners of all ages.

We think of love stories as those that end in happily-ever-after. But thousands of years ago, in ancient India, love was understood in a different way—as one of the four aims of life, as a means for spiritual growth, as a celebration of the play of the Divine. As something profound, beautiful, and sometimes elusive.

Twelve-year old Lia Park just wants to fit in. Her parents work with a mysterious organization that makes them ridiculously overprotective. Lia’s every move has been scrutinized since she was born, and she’d love to have the option of doing something exciting for once. So when she gets invited to the biggest birthday party of the year—and her parents say she can’t go—Lia sneaks out. But her first act of rebellion not only breaks her parents’ rules, but also an ancient protection spell, allowing an evil diviner spirit to kidnap and ransom her parents for a powerful jewel.

Collected from storytellers on snow-capped mountains, and in eerie forests, opulent palaces and countries near and far, the captivating folk tales in this book have mesmerized generations. Injected with freshness, mystery, adventure and magic, Geeta Ramanujam retells her all-time favourite stories with a song here and a twist there.

Tasaku is a lowly cutter of stone who longs for power. This story includes authentic Japanese music on the koto.

A new look at dark fairytales. Akin to the Brothers Grimm, none of these storybook characters are innocent. Cinder Ellah forgets who earned her the crown and pays a hefty price. Kaede’s new love interest weighs heavily on his soul. Olivia won’t give up her firstborn without a fight. The old woman living in a shoe bites off more than she can chew. Lere planned revenge, but contracted love sickness instead. These five stories will have you on the edge of your seat craving a sequel. Stories by Deborah Brown, Jo Niederhoff, Victor Nandi, Jarrett Mazza, and Thea Watson.

Thom Ngoh thought the Monkey King was her friend - he taught her to control her super strength and to stand up for herself. But really he was just using her. He tricked her into stealing from the Heavens and releasing him from his 500-year prison. Now the Monkey King is waging a war against the Heavens, and Thom must do everything in her power to fix the mess she made. Determined to prevent a war, Thom and her dragon friend Kha set off on an adventure across the Heavens to search for allies.

"The Boy Who Drew Cats" is a Japanese folk tale collected by Lafcadio Hearn in Japanese Fairy Tales. This is his most anthologized story. It concerns a boy who drew cats everywhere. Everyone in the town thought this was a waste of time until a goblin invaded their temple. They boy, and his cat, then come to the rescue.